Thread: Random Happenings

It was extremely windy when we got home and rain was on its way so we went inside fairly early. B played with L and it was nice to have some extra time to get things cleaned up a bit around the house. I also started organizing the freezers and I was able to get quite a bit packed into our small freezer, mostly boxed stuff. B was very helpful throwing things away for me and putting things where I asked, he’s a good little helper. After feeding L I made tacos and DH called shortly after 6:30 saying he just got the last customer out the door so we ate without him. I then got the kids in the bath and DH got home just as L was getting out. He washed B for me and I got clothes organized then he fed L and I got B out of the tub. I then threw a load of laundry in and folded the clothes from the previous night. B and DH played for awhile and I cleaned up the kitchen then it was stories and bedtime. I got in 50 min of my Kick Max then went to bed. I guess B woke complaining about his ear hurting so DH gave him some Motrin, he had a 99.5 temp this morning and now I’m worried he’s going to get an ear infection. He was in great spirits otherwise. DH has the day off so I was going to let the kids sleep in but B was up at 6:09 and L was up at 6:45, oh well.

L has her 9 month pictures tomorrow so I need to pick out clothes and get organized. I still have another load of laundry to do along with DH’s books, going through the kids’ clothes, getting pictures to my cousins wife for grandma’s gift, going through some borrowed GF recipe books, updating the kids’ webpage, updating my blog, organizing the deep freeze, and a few other things that need to be done. I seriously need more time in the day. I tried scheduling the kids’ checkups in July and they don’t have that month up yet and it sounds like our Pediatrician is leaving. I really like her and don’t want to take them to anyone else, boo!

I heard back from the people that sell buffalo meat and I’m hoping to get a quarter bison by the end of the month, which is why I’m trying to organize our freezers. We’ve really used up a lot of food and now I just need to see how the deep freeze looks once it’s organized. They have said we’re welcome to visit the ranch and that the calves are born in May, I’m sure B would love to see the baby bison.

I was actually productive last night and it was a great feeling. DH washed the sheets for me and put laundry and dishes away since he had the day off and then he picked the kids up so I was able to stop by the grocery store after work. They weren’t home when I got there so I quickly organized the deep freeze a bit and then put the groceries away. We ended up in the back yard playing and pulling dandelions, there are so many of them but they’re a little hard to see with the grass being so long. DH is going to mow this weekend, weather permitting. L had her first meat, it was chicken and she seemed to really like it so I better buy more for her. We had a pretty laid back night, I put more laundry away and had everything picked up and ready for today before I knew it. We even got B to sit on the potty and he pooped, yeah! He was a bit embarrassed when I was celebrating and dancing but the M&M’s made up for it. Both kids fell asleep fast and I got in 20 min of Pilates before heading to bed. I found time to water the plants, get L’s pictures stuff ready for today, and started going through the kids clothes but I need to finish that tonight. I am planning to clean the bathroom during the kids bath tonight and then tomorrow night won’t seem so daunting once we get home.

I’m officially in the 150’s and so happy about it, I’m so close to reaching my birthday goal and at this point I can’t even fathom what I’ll look like. I don’t even remember the last time I was in the 140’s, it must have been high school. I’ll have some major shopping to do because my pants at this point are really baggy and that’s a fantastic thing. It’s so nice to put on a pair of pants that used to be way too tight and now they have room, I should start trying on more clothes in my closet to see what fits now.

L has officially started cruising. She’s been thinking about it for the past few days and she’d only do it if part of what she was holding onto was us, like our legs. This morning she was up at the coffee table and sure enough she moved about 5 steps along the table to get what she wanted. DH would love for her to be walking in a month, she does great walking behind her walker and her steps are amazingly good, but I want my baby to stay a baby a bit longer. I want to cradle her more and keep her little, just a little longer. She’s not as cuddly as B is, she cuddles of course but she’s got so much to do that it’s very short lived. Maybe she’s like me, too much to do and too little time. It could be a good thing for me to learn and teach her to stop and smell the roses. One more thing on my to-do list. I think the signs that I maybe clean too much have also shown, L will get a hold of a wipe and she will start wiping things down with it like she’s cleaning. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing I’m passing onto her.

L’s 9 month pictures went great, she smiled and cooperated so well, the photographer was impressed. We were done with the pictures after 20 min so I fed her while waiting for the projection to be put together. I then picked out the pictures I wanted, which was the first time without DH so it was hard and I’m unsure if I chose the best. He called me right after I finished and at that point it was beyond too late. I picked B up a little earlier than usual and since it was raining we were inside for the night. It was a quiet evening and I was able to exercise, put the pizzas together for Friday night, and get a start on cleaning the house.

When I woke the kids up on Friday I found L lying in puke, I wish she would let me know when she pukes. She got a bath first thing and I let work know I would be out for the day. DH took B to DC and I was able to finish cleaning most of the house and started some laundry. Around 10 DC called saying B had 3 liquid diapers so I picked him up. During nap I was able to get pictures sent out for grandma’s present, update the kids’ webpage, and make the 36 hour chocolate chip cookie dough. After B was up from his nap we cleaned the floors and he was very helpful using my lightweight vacuum, he even told me I was doing a great job and gave me a high-five. The day was filled with diarrhea so I decided to keep the kids home and skip our play group, B was bummed he didn’t get to go to the CM so instead I promised him a popcorn and movie night. Our pizza was really good and then we gathered on the couch to watch Bolt and eat popcorn, I had two kernels and DH had a couple handfuls, the rest went to B. He last about 45 min through the movie and said he was tired so we put him to bed and finished the movie ourselves. I went to bed around 10 so I got at least one night of decent sleep.

On Saturday the kids were up at 6:30 and we had a nice morning together, B did get whiny and I lost my cool but that’s the way it goes sometimes. We had another day filled with liquid bum, the poor kids and poor me for changing so many diapers I lost count, but it was a good day. I had to do a run to the grocery store since I had somehow ran out of diapers for B, we have truckloads for L but not for B. We also needed a couple things so once everyone was dressed we went to the store. It was then lunch time and I put the kids down for their naps. B wanted L to nap with him in his bed, I explained she would fall out and get hurt so I put her in the crib instead. I then snuggled on the couch and read my Harry Potter book while listening to giggles, squeals, toys, and noise coming from that bedroom, this lasted for about an hour. At this point things quieted a little and I cleared the dishwasher right as C arrived. I then checked on the kids and they both were up and the room was terrorized, B got in trouble later on for leaving change on the floor and breaking the hand off L’s ballerina figurine. We gathered everything and headed for the PC party at Candy’s. There were plenty of kids, including A so B was in heaven, and we had some wine and chatted. It was a lot of fun and I bought a few things, not as much as the cook in me wanted but enough to satiate. B fell asleep on the drive home but he woke when I tried to move him to his bed, so we had some quiet time on the couch then went outside because I saw N was out with her new LO. I had to be a looky-loo and see the new baby plus give them her little outfit. We ended up playing at N’s house in the back yard and B was ready to be home (I think he needed some time without any kids) so he helped DH mow while I fed L. We had leftovers for dinner since we’re drowning in them and the kids went to bed a little early since naps were so bad. I did make my 36 hour cookies, it had only been about 27 hours but they turned out delicious. I stayed up too late chatting with DH and watching TV but I figured it would be OK since I could sleep in on Mother’s Day.

Sunday the kids woke around 7, I woke DH up and he let me sleep in. It was pretty nice until about 7:40 when I heard the water turn on in the bathroom and then I heard little voices as they were given a bath. This had me officially up and I wasn’t excited about it. I made the bed then laid on it for a bit longer and then checked on my family. L had puked in her crib again so it was bath time, bummer for me. It did at least mean we were going for the day at a decent hour. DH wanted to take me out for breakfast so we tried the Duck In but it was closed, we seemed to remember this happening to us before so we went to Country Kitchen. It was actually less busy than I expected and we had a nice breakfast. We then ran to town so DH could get something from the store and as we were headed to Target we could smell that B pooped, this was his second since leaving the house. I changed him and saw we needed a new pair of pants because he leaked through so we picked some up and had B pick out some big boy underwear. We also looked at 2 wheeled bikes and talked about how he’d get one once he starts using the potty. I headed to the car with B and thought DH was behind me but as I was putting B in his new pants and DH was nowhere to be seen I knew he was still standing in Target thinking I was in the bathroom. It didn’t matter since B had another diarrhea diaper so we had to go back in for an official change. After the cleanup we headed to Cashman’s and I got everything for my garden, I just don’t have time to do seeds this year so I’ll keep them for next year. B helped me pick plants out and he had a lot of fun, we ended up with an extra tomato plant and a cantaloupe but that’s OK. I think my garden is going to be full this year because I also got some garlic (I know spring isn’t the best time for planting but I don’t care). I’m excited for this summer. We then went home and played outside for a bit before having lunch and putting the kids down for their naps. I spent more time reading then made some rolls (which turned out spectacular) and prepped our sugar snap peas sauce. L seemed to be missing her brother while he napped because she made her way to his door and was knocking on it, little squirt trying to wake him up. She’s doing amazing well walking with her walker, we don’t even have to make sure her arms don’t get ahead of her legs because she just picks those feet up and goes. The first thing B said when he woke up was “Where’s Lily”, they can’t get enough of each other right now. We went outside because B wanted to play in the water, unfortunately it was a bit cooler than earlier so that was short lived. We decided this was now a great time to cut B’s hair and yes there was screaming and crying. First we tried to get him to use the trimmer but he wouldn’t so DH gave it a go, now there’s no turning around. I tried holding him for awhile but that didn’t work either so we ended up with me doing the trimming. I think it helped him when we acknowledged what bothers him the most about the haircuts. First he hates the hair getting in his face so we would take breaks to wipe his face down and DH used his hands to block the hair from falling in his face. And second I realized there was some tugging of the hair (since it was so long) from the trimmer so I started holding it and moving very slowly to keep the tugging from happening. This did the trick and it went a lot better from this point on. He got a yummy ice cream cone afterwards and though it’s not perfect it looks good enough. We’re going to start trimming his hair once a month so he can get use to it and if it doesn’t get too long it won’t take so much time. DH started BBQing our steaks at this point and we had a great dinner that was really easy on me. We had a relaxed night and I opted for wine instead of exercise, I’m sure I shouldn’t have done that since I enjoyed too many cookies for the day.

I’m hoping B is over his liquid poos, we haven’t received a call from DC so I’m wishing for the best. Tonight we’re going to get our corn started and I want to move some of the annuals to bigger pots. It’s another leftover night so we can really enjoy the evening. I’ve sent the deposit for our ¼ bison and I’m really excited to get it, it may even be before the end of the month but we’ll see. I’m slowly getting posts on my blog and here’s a link http://www.glutenfreemontana.blogspot.com/ I think I need to change the picture because my face looks crooked. Maybe there was some truth to the idiot hairdresser that told me half of my face was higher than the other half on my wedding day. Gee thanks.

It started raining right after we got home so we didn’t get around to planting the corn, hopefully tonight we can do that. B wanted pirate booty and to cuddle under a blanket once inside so that’s what he did. I cleaned up the kitchen, fed L, and then got dinner warmed up. B was dawdling with eating the meat so I got everything ready for today and did more cleaning while he sat at the table. I finally just fed him 4 bites because I was tired of his whining. We then cuddled on the couch and I fell asleep, my stomach was not very pleasant all day so I think I’m fighting off a bit of a bug. When I put B down L woke up and started crying so that was a bit of a battle. I finally just put her in the crib and let her fuss, I could hear she was going to settle soon and I was exhausted. I slept well and am feeling better today, hopefully I can get some exercise in. I need to keep my focus on my goal because the sweets are tempting me too much right now.

DC is close July 3^rd, 6^th, and 7^th, that’s a long break. The 3^rd is OK with me since I have that day off anyways but I just don’t have the leave to take the 6^th and 7^th. I called my mom and she said she’ll come up to watch the kids so that took care of that little issue. DH and I have been talking about what to get for our anniversary and I think we may try to get a new couch. Though I’ll want a specific sectional and then an oversized chair sleeper but I’m sure I can talk him into it. That is if it will work in our living room so I have some measurements to take. Another thing I need to do is get our basement organized again, it’s just a big mess right now and it needs some help.

DH called me at 3:45 asking if I could meet him at a furniture store to look at couches, who am I to say no? So off I went 30 minutes early from work to see what we could find. The sales person showed us a great brand and after doing a bit more looking around online I think I like a different style of that brand, it’s the arm rests that aren’t sitting with me too well. We’re going to look at some other places too but I have a feeling this will be the brand. We need to measure to see if my plan of the sofa with a chaise will work with an oversized chair and possibly an ottoman to replace the coffee table. I’m getting a bit excited about this. It was snowing pretty hard when I was driving to meet DH but once we left it was clear, windy but clear. Once home I started dinner and B again dawdled at the dinner table, I really enjoyed that stretch where he didn’t dawdle. It was then bath time and some cuddles before bed. I did 50 min of Kick Max and then went to bed myself, I’m exhausted today and actually fell asleep at my cubicle sitting up, that’s a first. I need to stop by the grocery store on my way home tonight then I need to do a load of laundry and start cleaning up around the house. Since I’m gone Friday night I’m really going to be behind and Saturday I’m sure I’ll be too tired to do anything. It’s going to be busy but if I just keep moving I’ll get it all in.

B did a cute thing in the car on Sunday. We were driving and he started singing (to the jingle bells song) “Baby food, baby food, all the way”. It was funny. Not sure where he got it but it made me giggle. I’ve ordered some baby legs for L and I’m so excited to get them in. I picked up a couple pairs at Target and she’s adorable in them, plus DH likes that they aren’t like tights so he doesn’t have the nightmare of putting them back on after diaper changes.

It was surprisingly gorgeous when we got home last night, I expect the opposite since it was windy and cold in town. I stopped at the grocery store before picking the kids up and made sure DH would be stocked through the weekend. Once we were home we started playing and the neighbor kids all came over, mostly to use B’s skateboard and take his t-ball stuff away from him. I had B help me plant the corn and of course as soon as they saw that I had 4 extra kids around me trying to help. I don’t mind that but I do mind them not being patient and waiting for their turn. I waited until the kids were gone before transplanting a few annuals, I did not want more than one kid helping me with that. It was getting late and L wanted to eat, clearly shown by her shoving dirt into her mouth repeatedly, so we headed inside. It was later than I thought and I was rushing around trying to get dinner started, L fed, B his juice and a show to watch, and groceries put away all while my patience was thin. I wasn’t a very good mommy at this point and I always feel bad afterwards. Sigh. DH came home and at least took the kids off my hands, L was so crabby and tired and I just wanted to get us fed. Finally we ate and B loves my cheeseburger macaroni dinner, he eats an adult sized portion of this stuff. After dinner L went to bed right away since she fell asleep at the bottle and B played with DH while I did some cleaning. He was very helpful with laundry and loaded the clothes in the basket then pushed it from our bedroom to the washer. He even loaded the washer and helped me put the Oxy Clean in, that’s his special job. After he was in bed I didn’t exercise like I should have, I just didn’t have motivation. I did however water the plants, clean the bathroom, clean the kitchen, and dust. Tonight I need to do another load of laundry and clean the floors, along with packing but that will be easy since it’s just me.

My weight is slowly creeping back down, I need to remind myself that overindulgence of even one day will set me back a week, boo! And I’m not talking about having a cookie or two, I’m talking about having 6 to 8 cookies along with eating more at my meals. On this note my ice cream maker attachment for the Kitchen Aid arrived yesterday and I’m really excited to use it. I think I may give it a whirl on Sunday which means I’ll need to do some shopping on Sunday morning for ingredients. My apron is supposed to arrive today, we’ll see I have a feeling it won’t be there. I did order a couple ice cream cookbooks, I want some more variety than the recipes that came in the instructions manual. DH has tomorrow off so he’s going to take my car in to be serviced then he’ll bring it to me at work and we’ll swap vehicles. It will be good for him to have a day free before he’s alone with the kids for 24 hours, not that he won’t do fine without me.

L gave me a surprise this morning, she was smiling and laughing and when she moved her head up I saw white on her upper gum. I then put my finger in there and she’s cut another tooth! Maybe that’s why she was so fussy last night and here I thought she was just tired and hungry. She was in great spirits this morning so I’m sure she’s feeling some relief.

I’m so thankful Friday is here, it took long enough. I ran to Rosauer’s last night to mainly get some GFM flour and figured I’d pick a few other things up also. I got everything but the flour, they didn’t have any GFM stuff at all, it was very disappointing. But I have the chicken and ingredients to make ice cream on Sunday so it wasn’t a complete waste. I was happy to find that the GF corn Chex are now available at Rosauer’s so I picked up a box because I could, woot! It was windy and rainy when we got home so we ran out to get our mail then hustled inside. I was feeling very PMSy, that’s not a word but I’m making it one, and my patience was completely gone. I was yelling at the kids, yes both of them, and then realizing how big of a ***** I was I’d start crying. When DH got home I wasn’t any better to him and was complaining about the house being filthy when I just cleaned it the previous night. He of course doesn’t see what’s dirty, apparently the dirty diaper in the living room and dirty clothes on the floor are invisible. We got into it a little bit because he doesn’t say anything to me when I bring things like this up and so I feel like he’s ignoring me and doesn’t care. His response is that he doesn’t know what to say well saying nothing isn’t working any ****ing better! I cried a lot last night and then started emotional eating, I was a mess. I did get the floors cleaned, another load of laundry done and put away, packed, and forced myself to do my 20 min bun & thigh workout so it wasn’t a complete waste of an evening.

This morning I got in as much cuddle time with the kids as possible, I think I’m going to miss them tonight but this break will be good for me. L was the first one up and as soon as I picked her up she was signing milk, it’s too cute. Yesterday morning she was saying ilk after I’d say milk and she was doing it today also. She also said a full out “daddy” yesterday morning when DH walked into the living room, gosh she’s growing up. I think work may go a little slow today but I’m working through lunch and leaving a bit early so that’s a nice thing to look forward to. We’re meeting at Perkins for dinner and I’ll have a salad so I can stay within my calorie range. Tomorrow C is bringing a chicken salad for lunch and I’m bringing veggies and cookies, it should be a pretty healthy lunch overall. DH has today off so he’s taking my car in to be serviced and have the oil changed then he’ll bring it to work and swap me cars. He’s thinking about going to the cabin tomorrow with the kids and I think that would be nice for all of them and then possibly keep us from having to stop next weekend on our way home. Not that I don’t want to see the IL’s but it’s sometimes nice to just get home and not prolong it another hour or so.

I had a really good weekend, too fast as usual. It was really nice to hit the road on Friday afternoon, that drive makes me feel like I’m at home. I know my home is in the plains and not the mountains where I currently live. Not that I don’t love the scenery here and like Bzmn but I still get that feeling of being home when I head east, it’s the same as when I lived in Msla. The skies are something you can’t get here and I love those skies. I was also feeling nostalgic of my pregnancy with L because I was listening to my Wilco Live CD, it’s the CD I listened to all the time in the car at the end of my pregnancy and it brought back some really happy memories. It was a great drive. I met up with my mom, Aunt L, and C at Perkins and we had dinner then we parted for our hotels to meet up at the Conference later. C & I chatted for a bit then headed to the WoF conference and I couldn’t believe how empty the parking lot was compared to previous years. I guess the economy was showing. We found our seats and had to have two women move because they were in our spots. One woman (she turned out to be the pastor’s wife) commented that she thought they had all the seats in these rows but they left for the other end of the row to sit with the other ladies. I knew they were part of my mom’s church group but I had never seen them or met them before and none of them obviously knew me. So C and I were sitting and talking and I look over at the ladies on the other end of the row and all 8 of them are just staring at us. Gee thanks for making us feel really welcome there’s nothing like Middle School behavior to make people feel loved. I commented to C that they were staring at us and she was already aware. I hope they felt a bit rude once they realized we were with my mom and actually part of their group. I know the pastor’s wife knew people were coming that she didn’t know so her behavior should have been a bit more accepting. Oh well. We had a lot of fun Friday night and didn’t get out until 10, I was tired but we still stayed up until 11:30 chatting before going to bed.

Saturday I woke at 6, darned habits! I did stay in bed until 6:50 dozing in and out then I got up and showered. C got out of bed around 6:25 and I was ready to go so I ran down to get my continental breakfast. I was a little disappointed on options, which was an apple and coffee since everything was filled with gluten. We didn’t leave until 15 minutes before the Conference was supposed to start, C is notoriously late, but all we missed was some signing so it wasn’t a big deal. I really enjoyed the speakers and I loved Nicole C. Mullen, she was full of energy and great. We checked out the goods during the first break and I thought about getting a shirt but they were a bit long for me, instead I bought some bible studies so now I need to get that scheduled into my week. Our lunch was great and I left during the last song so I was on the road shortly after 4. DH and I texted a lot and the kids were really good for him, L kept saying Mama all day so that made me feel good. He did take them to the cabin for the day and sent me a text pic of L laying on the RR tracks while B and MIL were putting pennies on the track. I know she was safe but that’s not the most pleasant picture to see. They got home about 45 min before I did, I made really good time with my lead foot, and it was great getting kisses and hugs from my kids. We had some really good GF chicken strips for dinner along with fruit and veggies that were left over from our picnic lunch. L had a hard time falling asleep, I think she was worried I was going to leave so I stayed by her crib for awhile to help her out. I made some rolls for breakfast the next morning, I soaked them in butter then coated them with cinnamon and sugar so they were pretty tasty, a little dry so I’ll need to add some applesauce next time to help them out. DH and I then watched Forgetting Sarah Something or other, I can’t remember but it was an OK show. More full frontal male nudity and I’m hoping this isn’t a new trend with movies. After the movie we went to bed and the kids had me out of bed at 6:30 on Sunday. It was early but I had a smile on my face because it was also the first morning I've woke to L saying "mama".

I let DH sleep in on Sunday and I had a slow start to the day with the kids. When we were sitting down for breakfast DH joined us and then I put L down because she was tired. DH mowed and B helped so I snuck in my shower then I started going through the kid’s clothes to get some summer things out and pack up the clothes they have grown out of. We then had lunch and while the kids were napping I ran to the grocery store, where of course I didn’t get 2 items I will need soon so I will be doing a run after work. I then worked on laundry and L woke up and shortly after that B was up too. He was excited to go to the park since we promised him we would so shortly after wake up we were heading to the park. He played hard and is now big enough to climb up the big ladder and get to the red slide, it still made my stomach drop when he’d get to the top because I was worried he’d fall. I’m so paranoid after our disaster of him hitting his face on this very same ladder. L had fun swinging and sliding and did great in the tunnel until she fell on her face and was stuck, poor girl. We then went home and I made peanut butter ice cream with Reese’s peanut butter cups, mmm and very rich might I add. After our ice cream I needed to get dinner finished and the chicken was OK but a little dry, I’m going to use the left over for tetrazzini yum! B got a TO for saying stupid, specifically calling me and my rules of “eat before you can leave the table” stupid. The rest of the night was routine and I didn’t exercise but instead cuddled with DH for a bit before having some anniversary fun, we had to do something for our anniversary, then it was bed time.

I was happy to find that the shorts I wore last summer are way too big for me and I’m fitting in my size 14 shorts. The capris I’m wearing today are a little big and they’re 14’s, this is such a great feeling. It's fantastic to try clothes on worrying they'll be too big and not too small, and the only reason I worry they'll be too big is because I don't want to have to buy new clothes until I hit 145. I was 159.2 this morning and I hope my weigh-in tomorrow is even better. I have a hard time readjusting my mind to the new numbers, I keep thinking I’m 169, thank God I’m not.

I left work a little early so I could stop at the grocery store before picking the kids up, my plans were thwarted as soon as I was past the 19^th exit. Due to a semi’s trailer rolling we were at a standstill or going 5 mph for most of the way home. It took me 40 extra minutes and I was not happy. So I took the kids with me and B happily shopped alongside me. DH arrived home shortly after we did and after a little bit of play outside we headed inside so I could make dinner. I had my normal Monday headache so I was feeling like crud, at least I stayed on course with my meal plan. After dinner I started putting together our chicken tetrazzini for tonight, I’m really looking forward to eating that, mmm. We then played before it was bed time and I talked DH into giving me a massage before I headed to bed. Tonight I have some major recycling to do and some cleanup around the house. I’ll sneak a load of laundry in and maybe I’ll be able to do some weeding, the flower beds really need it.

I was happy to be 158.6 today, 13 pounds to go and I’ll have reached my birthday goal. I feel at this point it’s attainable as long as I start exercising again which I will be doing tonight. I would love to give myself a birthday treat of shopping for new clothes.

Cindy, that is AWESOME on the weight loss girl!!! I'm so proud of you!